Slider for slide fasteners



' E. RYSER SLIDER FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Oct. 3,1950

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 s 5 n lfix dvwmu 3 Filed Feb. 2a, v194e r W V fligs Patented Oct. 3, 1950 SLIDER FOR suns FASTENERS Ernst Ryser, Mendrisio, Tessin, Switzerland, as-

signor to Ri-Ri-Werk A. G., Mendrisio, Tessin,

Switzerland Application February 28, 1946, Serial No. 650,929

France November 21, 1945 4 Claims. '(Cl. 24 205.14)

This invention relates to sliders for slide fasteners of the automatic or self-locking type.

It is an object of the invention to provide a slider of this type which is made by die casting or pressure casting of metallic or non-metallic materials, which is convenient and economical to manufacture, consisting of a minimum of parts of great simplicity of assemblage.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a self-locking slider in which the slider body having the fastener element receiving channel therein, and the pull attaching member or bridge member serving for attaching the slider operating pull tab are formed by a single integral casting which is provided with a passage between the slider body and the bridge member for insertion of a slider locking spring, the spring being provided with retaining means coacting with means in said passage for automatically holding the spring in its operating position after it has been introduced into the spring receiving passage, Without requiring any special fastening members.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which show by way'of example three preferred embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a slider according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the slider taken along the line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view of the slider body from below.

Fig. 4 is aview of the slider body from above.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modified slider.

Fig. 6 is a section taken along the line VIVI of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a further modification of a slider according to the invention.

Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line VIIIV'III of Fig. '7.

Fig. 9 is a detail view of the slider locking spring.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4,'the represented slider comprises a slider body I and a pull attaching member or bridge member 3 formed in a single with a downwardly turned end portion I8 which extends through an opening I 9 in the upper wing I5 of the slider body I to project by a locking prong 20 into the guide channel 2 for the fastener elements. This prong 20 is adapted to engage between two successive fastener elements of one of the fastener stringers threaded through the slider channel 2, in order to lock the, slider to the stringers to prevent an undesired movement of the slider in the direction of opening of the fastener.

In order to maintain the blade spring IT in the slider passage I6 without any special fastening members, a resilient. tongue 2| is cut out from the material of the spring and bent rearwardly so that its free end bears against a shoulder 22 formed in the passage I6. This tongue 2| thus prevents the spring II from sliding downwardly in the passage I6, while the bent down end portion I8 prevents the spring from moving upwardly in the passage I6 of the slider body. In order to insert the spring I? into the passage I6, the spring is simply pushed into the passage from the lower end thereof. At the narrow portions of the passage, the tongue 2i is flattened and pushed towards the body of the spring by the Wall of the passage, and when the end of the tongue arrives above the shoulder 22, it resiliently springs back into engagement with the shoulder. The spring IT can then no longer be removed from the passage It except by a special tool acting against the tongue 2|.

Operation of the slider is efiected by means of a pull tab 23 which is connected to the slider along the inclined surface 25 of the upper wing piece by die-casting or molding a metallic or nontween the pull attaching member 3 and the slider body I a passage I6 extends from the top to the bottom face of the slider. A slider locking spring I1 is inserted in this passage I6 and is provided I5. The loop accordingly acts against the spring I1 and applies this spring against the inner surface of the bridge member 3. 2IJ'of the spring is retracted from the channel 2 and is disengaged from between two successive fastener elements to release the slider which can now be moved. When the action on the pull tab 23 ceases, the spring I? returns to its normal position of rest as represented in Fig. 2 and the prong 2B reengages the fastener stringer. V

In order to'move the slider in the direction of closing of the fastener, that is towards above in Fig. 2, the pull tab 23 is pulled upwardly. The

The locking prong 3 portion of the loop 24 engaged beneath the spring l1 slides outwardly along the inclined surface 26 of the upper wing H: and acts again on the spring to lift the prong 20 out of the guide channel 2 of the slider body.

In the modification according to Figs. 5 and 6, the slider body and the bridge member 3 are also molded in a single piece by die casting or pressure casting. A locking spring 21 is inserted in the passage l6 extending from the upper to the lower face of the slider between the bridge member 3 and the upper wing l5 of the slider body The lower end of the spring 21 is bent inwardly and forms a prong penetrating into the guide channel 2 for the fastener elements of the slide fastener. The upper end of the locking spring is engaged in the narrow upper end of the passage I6. In order to maintain the spring in its position in the passage It, a tongue 28 is cut out of the material of the spring and bent outwardly so as to engage in a recess or hole 29 formed in the bridge member 3. This tongue 28 prevents the spring 21 from moving longitudinally in the passage It. For mounting the spring 21 in its position in the slider, it is inserted from below into the passage IS, the tongue 28 sliding along the inner surface of the bridge member 3, while the spring is slightly flattened until the tongue 28 can penetrate into the hole 29.

Movement of the slider along the fastener stringers is effected by means of the pull tab 33 connected to the slider by a wire loop 3|. When a pull is exerted downwardly on the pull tab, the portion of the loop engaged between the spring 21 and the upper wing |5 of the slider body acts against the spring and causes the locking prong 20 to be retracted from the guide channel 2, while the spring is applied against the inner face of the bridge member 3 to stop the outward stroke of the spring. When the pullin action ceases, the spring will again take up its normal position represented in Fig. 6. In order to move the slider in opposite -direction, the pull tab 33 is pulled upwardly so that the loop engaged beneath the spring acts against the upper portion of the spring and again applies the spring towards the inner surface of the bridge member 3 while retracting the prong 20 from the channel 2.

The represented pull tab 30 is also obtained by die-casting. When casting the pull tab, its upper thickened portion is provided with an oblong recess 32 having an axial hole 33 extending from its bottom. The loop 3|, formed from a piece of wire, is of rectangular shape having the two wire ends 34 joined together and projecting from the rectangular portion of the loop. The wire loop 3| is first engaged beneath the spring 21 and then the joined wire ends 34 are inserted in the hole 33, While a portion of the rectangular loop enters into the recess 32. The upper marginal portions 35 "of the cast pull tab are then pressed towards each other, so as to close above the portion of the loop engaged in the recess 32 and permanently lock the wire within the pull tab.

In the modification according to Figs. '7 to 9, the slider formed by an integral casting is again provided with a passage I6 extending from top to bottom between the upper wing |5 of the slider body and the bridge member 3. The slider looking spring 36 is engaged in this passage IE and formed with an inwardly bent portion 31 having at its free end a locking prong 20 projecting through the upper wing l5 into the guide channel 2. A tongue 38 is cutout in the middleportion of the spring from the material thereof. The

til

A. tongue 38 is bent out of the plane of the spring towards the bridge member 3, and the free end of the tongue cooperates with a shoulder 39 formed on the inner surface of the bridge memher, to prevent the spring from sliding downwardly in the passage IS. The bent down portion 31 of the spring, bearing against the projecting nose 4!] of the upper plate I5, prevents an upward movement of the spring relatively to the slider body.

Operation of the slider is effected by means of the pull tab 4| attached to the slider by a wire loop 42 passing beneath the spring 36 in an enlarged portion of the passage I6 limited by the inclined wall portions 43 and 44 of the upper wing l5 of the slider body. When a pull is downwardly exerted by the pull tab 4|, the inclined wall portion 43 causes the portion of the loop 42 engaged between the spring 36 to slide outwardly. The spring is applied against the inner surface of the bridge member 3 and the locking prong 23 is retractedfrom' the guide channel 2. Likewise, upon an upwards pull effected by the pull tab 4| the inclined surface 44 causes the loop 42 to slide outwardly and act against the spring 36 to retract the lockin prong 20 from the guide channel. The slider arrangement according to Figs. '7 to 9 shows the advantage as compared with the examples according to Figs. 2 and 6 that the holding tongue can be made longer and can extend over the whole length of the enlarged portion of the passage l3 between the two inclined surfaces 43 and 44, between which operates the pull tab loop 42.

Th pull tab 4| has the shape of small handle tapering from its free end towards the slider. This handle is made by die-casting and formed with a transverse slot 45 at its upper end and an axial hole 46 extending downwardly from the bottom of the slot. The loop 42 is formed of a piece of wire bent to rectangular shape and having the two wire ends 41 joined together and projecting from the rectangular portion.

In order to secure the pull tab to the slider, the loop '42 is first engaged beneath the locking spring 3'6 in the passage l6 and then the wire ends 4? are introduced into the hole 46 of the pull tab 4|, so that the lower portion of the loop is engaged in the transverse slot 45. Pressure is then applied to the two opposite portions 48 between which the slot 45 had been formed to join these two portions above the Wire 0f the loop and permanently lock the loop to the pull tab 4|.

While until now the pull tabs for the slider of slide fasteners had usually been cut out from sheet metal, the two examples according to Figs. 5 to 8 show a convenient method to produce pull tabs by die-casting, either of metal or of plastic material.

I claim:

1. A slide fastener slider comprising a body formed with a fastener element receiving channel, and, at one side of said channel, with a longitudinally extending passage having an open end, which passage adjacent each end thereof is formed. with a lateral recess presenting a shoulder facing'that end, the recess adjacent said open end placing said passage in communication with said channeLsaid'passageat a portion thereof between said shoulders being formed, at its side adjacent said channel, with a lateral recess presenting at each longitudinal end thereof an inclined surface, which surfaces converge toward each other they 'extend toward said channel, an elongated flat spring received bysaid passage, which spring tion with said channel for restraining said spring from movement longitudinally of said passage in one direction, and which spring adjacent its opposite end has a second prong adapted to coact with the other of said shoulders for restraining said spring from movement longitudinally of said passage in the opposite direction, a pull tab having a portion received in the recess presenting said converging surfaces, which portion is adapted to coact with such surfaces for causing such portion to engage the spring and flex the latter for moving said locking prong into disengaged position when said pull tab is pulled in either of opposite directions for moving the slider, said second prong of said spring having a free end and being resilient and projecting from a flat side of said spring in inclined diverging relation to said side to cause the prong to extend toward that end of said spring which has said locking prong with'said free end in spaced relation tothe body of the spring, While the portion of said passage immediately adjacent the recess which presents the shoulder with which said second prong coacts is of less width normal to said flat side of the spring than the distance the free end of said second prong is spaced from said flat side, whereby that end of the spring which has said second prong may be inserted in said'passage through its said open end and the spring pushed longitudinally of the passage to cause said second prong to hex by engagement with the passage walls and snap behind the said shoulder with which the second prong coacts for preventing removal of the spring.

2. A slider according to claim 1 in which the passage which receives the spring is open at each of its opposite ends whereby, after the spring is inserted in said passage and secured against re-- moval therefrom by the second prong of the spring snapping behind the shoulder with which it coacts, the spring may be removed by pushing a tool through the open end of the passage adjacent said second prong for engaging said prong and flexing it to cause it to disengage said shoulder.

3. A slide fastener slider comprising a body formed with a fastener element receiving channel, and, at one side of said channel, with a longitudinally extending passage having an open end, which passage adjacent said end is formed with a lateral recess placing said passage in communication with said channel and presenting a shoulder facing that end, said passage being also formed with a second lateral recess presenting a I ward said channel, an elongated flat spring received in said passage, which spring adjacent one end thereof has a slider locking prong extending from one flat side of said spring for coacting with the first mentioned shoulder for restraining said spring from movement longitudinally of said passage in one direction, said spring having a second prong adapted to coact with said second shoulder for restraining said spring from movement 1ongitudinally of said passage in the opposite direction, a pull tab having a portion received in the recess presenting said converging surfaces, which portion is adapted to coact with such surfaces for causing such portion to engage the spring and flex the latter for moving said slider locking prong into disengaged position when said pull tab is pulled in either of opposite directions for moving the slider, said second prong of said spring having a free end and being resilient and projecting from a fiat side of said spring to extend toward that end of the spring which has said slider locking prong with said free end in spaced relation to the body of the spring, while that portion of said passage which is immediately adjacent said second shoulder and is between the latter and said open end of the passage is of less width normal to said fiat side of said spring than the distance the free end of said second prong is spaced from said flat side, whereby that end of the spring which is opposite said slider locking prong may be inserted in said passage through its said open end and the spring pushed longitudinally of the passage to cause said second prong to flex by engagement with the passage walls and snap behind said second shoulder for preventing removal of the spring.

4. A slider according to claim 3 in which the passage which receives the spring is open at each of its opposite ends whereby, after the spring is inserted in said passage and secured against removal therefrom by the second prong of the spring snapping behind the second shoulder, the spring may be removed by pushing a tool through the open end of the passage opposite the end of the spring which has the slider locking prong for engaging said second prong and flexing it to cause it to disengage said second shoulder.

, ERNST RYSER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,057,126 Wintritz Oct. 13, 1936 2,181,142 Marinsky Nov. 28, 1939 2,269,879 Marinsky Jan. 13, 1942 2,277,503 Pickens Mar. 24, 1942 2,373,523 Winterhalter Apr. 10, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 216,674 Switzerland .of 1942 558,502 Great Britain of 1944 

